EXIT POLLS PREDICT BJP WIN IN GUJARAT, CLIFFHANGER IN HIMACHAL

Exit polls on Monday predicted a big majority for the BJP in Gujarat and a dead heat in Himachal Pradesh where most pollsters gave an edge to the ruling BJP over the Congress.

The counting of votes in both states will take place on December 8.

All exit polls predicted a big mandate for the BJP in Gujarat in the range of 117-151 seats in the 182-member assembly, while the Congress was predicted to bag seats in the range of 16-51 seats.

The Aam Aadmi Party was projected to bag anything between two and 13 seats.

In Himachal Pradesh, the exit polls projected a range of 24-41 seats for the BJP and 24-40 seats for the Congress. The majority mark is 35 seats.

For Gujarat, the Aaj Tak-Axis My India poll predicted 129-151 seats for the BJP, 16-30 seats for the Congress and 9-21 seats for the Aam Aadmi Party. ABP News C-Voter predicted 128-140 seats for the BJP, 31-43 for the Congress and 3-11 for AAP.

News 24-Today's Chanakya also predicted a huge majority for the BJP in Gujarat with its survey stating that the BJP was likely to get 150, Congress 19 and AAP 11.

News X-Jan Ki Baat exit poll on Gujarat elections said the BJP was likely to get 117-140 seats, Congress-NCP 34-51, AAP 6-13 and others 1-2.

Republic TV P-MARQ predicted 128-148 seats for the BJP, 30-42 for the Congress-NCP, AAP 2-10 and others 0-3.

TV9 Gujarati forecast that the BJP would get 125-130 seats, Congress-NCP 40-50, AAP 3-5 and others 3-7.

For Himachal Pradesh, Aaj Tak-Axis My India predicted a close contest between the Congress and the BJP. It said the BJP would get 24-34 seats and the Congress 30-40 seats.

News 24-Today's Chanakya also pointed to a cliffhanger in Himachal Pradesh, predicting 33 seats for both the BJP and the Congress with a margin of plus-minus seven seats for both.

While ABP News C-Voter said the BJP was likely to get 33-41 seats and Congress 24-32, India TV predicted that the BJP would bag 35-40 seats, Congress 26-31 and AAP zero.

News X-Jan Ki Baat survey said the BJP was likely to get 32-40 seats in the hill state, Congress 27-34 and AAP zero.

While Republic TV P-MARQ predicted that the BJP would get 34-39, Congress 28-33 and AAP 0-1, the Times Now-ETG said the average seats BJP was likely to get was 38 and the Congress 28.

…..AND PREDICT A BIG WIN FOR AAP IN DELHI MUNICIPAL POLL

Three exit polls on Monday predicted a clear win for the Aam Aadmi Party in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi polls and an end to the BJP's 15-year rule at the civic body.

The results for the MCD polls will be declared after counting of votes on December 7.

The Aaj Tak-Axis My India survey showed the AAP was going to bag 149-171 municipal wards, while the BJP will win 69-91 wards. The survey gave 3-7 wards to the Congress and 5-9 to others.

The AAP is predicted to win 146-156 wards in the Times Now-ETG survey which gave 84-94 wards to the BJP and, 6-10 to the Congress and up to four to others.

The News X exit poll gave the Aam Aadmi Party 150-175 wards and the BJP 70-92, while the Congress may win 4-7 municipal wards.

The BJP that has been ruling the civic bodies since 2007 had won 181 of the total 270 municipal wards in the 2017 civic body polls, trouncing the AAP and the Congress. The AAP won 48 wards and the Congress 30.

Earlier this year, the three municipal corporations in Delhi were unified by the Centre into MCD having 250 wards. The total number of wards was 272 under the three corporations.

Both the AAP and the BJP have fielded 250 candidates, while the Congress has 247 in the fray. The number of independents is 382.

PM CHAIRS ALL-PARTY MEET ON G-20, CALLS FOR OPPN SUPPORT

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached out to the political class Monday, seeking cooperation from leaders of parties and urging them to come together to make India’s G20 presidency a big success.

Underlining that it was the country’s programme and not his or his government’s, the Prime Minister said this was an “unique opportunity” to showcase India’s strengths to the entire world.

At a meeting of the heads of major political parties, the government briefed them on the events it was planning to organise to showcase India to the world.

The meeting at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre was attended, among others by Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and several Chief Ministers – Tamil Nadu’s M K Stalin, West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee, Odisha’s Naveen Patnaik, Maharashtra’s Eknath Shinde, Andhra Pradesh’s Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and Delhi’s Arvind Kejriwal.

Sitharaman gave a brief overview after Shah’s opening remarks. Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra gave a powerpoint presentation on the meetings, programmes and cultural events that the government is planning to organise leading up to the marquee summit of G20 leaders in New Delhi in September next year.

At least three leaders – Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, CPM’s Sitaram Yechury and CPI’s D Raja – are learnt to have pointed out that India taking over the G20 presidency was by rotation, implying that it should not be projected as the BJP government’s achievement.

Kharge, it is learnt, said it was a matter of pride that India had got the G20 presidency but recalled that the country had hosted the Non-Aligned Movement summit and Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 1983 ,underscoring that it was not the first time India was getting such an opportunity.

A statement by the Ministry of External Affairs said the “Prime Minister stated that India’s G20 Presidency belongs to the entire nation, and is a unique opportunity to showcase India’s strengths to the entire world.” The Prime Minister, it said, also pointed out that there is global curiosity and attraction towards India today, which further increases the potential of India’s G20 Presidency.

RUSSIA’S REQUEST FOR PARTS LINKED TO TALKS BEFORE UKRAINE WAR BEGAN: JAISHANKAR

Days after it emerged that Russia had asked India for equipment, parts and products in short supply, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said Monday that this request was part of discussions being held “for some years now” and not a “post February 24 conversation” — referring to the Russian invasion of Ukraine this year.

With the visiting German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock by his side, Jaishankar also defended the import of oil from Russia, saying the EU buys six times more oil than India.

Baerbock did not refer to oil imports but flagged the “global impact” of Russia’s “brutal war” against Ukraine which, she said, has created difficulties for India, too, on “energy supply” and “fertilisers”.

And, in contrast with her remarks in Pakistan in October, the German Minister did not refer to the role of the UN in J&K even as Jaishankar made it clear that India will engage with Pakistan bilaterally.

The two Foreign Ministers signed a mobility partnership pact after their bilateral meeting that covered global challenges, including the Ukraine conflict, the situation in Afghanistan and cross-border terrorism from Pakistan.

Speaking to reporters, Jaishankar said the mobility pact will make it easier for people to study, do research and work in both countries and is a “strong signal for a more contemporary bilateral partnership”.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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NO MORALITY POLICE? IRAN ACTIVISTS REJECT CLAIM

Iranian activists and Western nations on Monday dismissed a claim that the protest-hit Islamic republic is disbanding its notorious morality police, insisting there was no change to women’s rights.

Iranian shops shut their doors in several cities on Monday, following calls for a three day nationwide strike from protesters, nearly three months into a nationwide wave of unrest sparked by the death in custody of the 22-yearold Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini. Meanwhile the head of the judiciary blamed what he called “rioters” for threatening shopkeepers.

“Nothing we have seen suggests Iran's leadership is improving its treatment of women and girls or ceasing the violence it inflicts on peaceful protesters,” the US state department said. Germany’s foreign ministry said Iranian protesters “want to live freely and in self-determination”, and disbanding the morality police, “if it is implemented, won’t change that”.

In a surprise move over the weekend, Iran’s prosecutor general Mohammad Jafar Montazeri was quoted as saying that the morality police units had been closed down.

But campaigners were sceptical about his comments, which appeared to be an impromptu response to a question at a conference rather than a clearly signposted announcement by the interior ministry.

Abolishing the force, activists argued, would mark no change to Iran’s headscarf policy but rather a switch in tactics on enforcing it.

EU EMBARGO OF RUSSIAN OIL, G7 PRICE CAP TAKE EFFECT

Europe and the US started enforcing on Monday two of the toughest measures aimed at curbing Russia’s income from oil, the principal source of cash used to fund its nearly 10-month-old war in Ukraine. The first, a price cap initiative led by the US, aims to increase economic pressure on the Kremlin while avoiding a global oil shock. The limit was set at $60 per barrel, and endorsed by the G7 countries, Australia, and the EU.

he second is an embargo under which European nations will no longer be able to buy most Russian crude as of Monday. It was a step that the EU had agreed to months ago but that it phased in to prepare member nations.

Analysts and traders are skeptical about how well the price cap will work because it may be difficult to administer and will mainly hit large customers for Russian oil like India and China. American officials have argued that they are trying to avoid a sudden contraction of supply, and the resulting spike in gasoline and heating oil prices, as the EU embargo takes hold. Russia has said it will not accept a price cap and has threatened to cut off supplies to countries that comply with the arrangement. Analysts say that Russia has been building a so-called “shadow fleet” of old tankers to export its oil and avoid the sanctions, but they are skeptical that it can assemble a large enough flotilla. If it can’t, Russia may need to begin closing down wells.

THE REST

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GUJARAT RECORDS 61% TURNOUT IN PHASE 2, DOWN FROM 70% IN 2017

A moderate voter turnout of 60.94 per cent was recorded in the second and final phase of the Gujarat assembly elections covering 93 seats across 14 districts of north and central regions on Monday, the Election Commission said, a sharp drop from 70 per cent polling registered in these constituencies in 2017.

Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer P Bharathi said barring a few incidents of violence, polling for the final phase went off peacefully and electoral fate of 833 candidates were locked in EVMs.

The first phase of elections on December 1 had covered 89 assembly seats and recorded 63.31 per cent polling.

The Opposition has accused the Election Commission of turning a blind eye to alleged violation of model code of conduct by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who reportedly held a road show on Monday while on his way to cast his vote in Ahmedabad.

TERROR GROUP PUTS OUT HIT LIST TARGETING KASHMIRI PANDIT EMPLOYEES

Kashmiri Pandits working in the Valley are in a state of panic after a terrorist group released a hit list of 56 employees from the community.

In the aftermath of targeted killings by terrorists, several Kashmiri Pandits employed in the Valley under the Prime Minister's Rehabilitation Package (PMRP) have shifted to Jammu and are on a protest for over 200 days demanding relocation.

Recently, a blog linked to The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba, published a list of 56 Kashmiri Pandit employees under PMRP, and warned of mounting attacks on them.

"Terror groups have previously sent us threat letters, but this time, the warning is accompanied by a list of employees. This has created a fear not only among the protesting employees but the entire community," Ranjan Zutshi, one of the  protesting employees, told PTI on Monday. He said the latest warning cannot be dismissed as a propaganda as "they (terrorists) have all relevant information about the employees".

ALL DUE PROCESSES FOLLOWED WHILE IMPLEMENTING NOTE BAN: RBI TO SC

The RBI on Monday told the Supreme Court that the process as laid down in Section 26(2) of RBI Act, 1934 was duly followed while deciding on demonetising currency notes of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 denomination in November 2016.

“The process was followed. We have stated on affidavit that the quorum as determined by the regulations was met,” senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, appearing for the RBI, told a five-judge Constitution Bench presided by Justice S Abdul Nazeer.

Gupta told the bench, also comprising Justices B R Gavai, A S Bopanna, V Ramasubramanian, and B V Nagarathna, which is hearing petitions against the demonetisation decision, that deliberations on the proposed move began in February 2016, but were conducted in a fragmented manner to maintain confidentiality.

The petitioners had contended that under Section 26(2) of RBI Act, recommendation for demonetisation should have come from RBI but this was not the case in 2016.

Countering the petitioners, Gupta said the Section concerned “does not talk about the process of initiation. It only says that the process will not end without the last two steps outlined in it”. He termed the petitioners’ argument “falacious ”.

Earlier in the hearing, Attorney General R Venkataramni said an argument has been raised that the demonetisation has failed to achieve the objectives. He pointed out that even the five-year plan has targets, some of which are not met. “Does the plan become bad only for this reason,” he asked.

FOOTBALL WORLD CUP: CROATIA ADVANCE AS JAPAN CRUMBLE IN SHOOTOUT

Goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic saved three spot-kicks as Croatia beat Japan 3-1 in a penalty shootout to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the third time after an enthralling 120-minute contest finished deadlocked at 1-1 on Monday.

Takumi Minamino, Kaoru Mitoma and Maya Yoshida were all denied by Livakovic before Mario Pasalic coolly sent Japan keeper Shuichi Gonda the wrong way.

Three times in the knockout rounds in Russia four years ago Croatia came from behind to advance after extra time before losing to France in the final. They once again showed their resilience and patience by coming from a goal down to tame a lively Japan team who had beaten Germany and Spain in the group stage.

Daizen Maeda opened the scoring for Japan in the 43rd minute and Ivan Perisic headed the equaliser 10 minutes after the break but the teams could not be separated over the remainder of the game.

For Japan, this was last-16 heartache for the fourth time after a loss to Turkey in 2002, exiting on penalties against Paraguay in 2010 and giving up a 2-0 lead to lose to a stoppage- time goal against Belgium four years ago.

"Every day, for four years, we worked hard to break this barrier (by reaching the final eight) but we couldn't get the result we wanted," captain Yoshida said. "It's really hard to take."

After all their hard work in topping a difficult group and matching the Croatians for 120 minutes, Japan crumbled in the shootout with only Takuma Asano converting his penalty.

Nikola Vlasic and Marcelo Brozovic put Croatia 2-0 ahead and even though Marko Livaja hit the post with his spot-kick, Pasalic was able to seal the deal with the fourth penalty.

AND A SUBLIME BRAZIL S CRUSH KOREA TO ENTER QUARTERS

An irrepressible, irresistible Brazil lit up the night sky on Monday with one of the performances of the World Cup to shred South Korea 4-1 and set up a quarter-final clash with Croatia.

The Brazilians brought a beach soccer swagger to the iconic Stadium 974 with a display that simply overwhelmed the Koreans, and brought an end to Asian hopes at the tournament.

After Japan's penalty shootout loss to Croatia earlier, and Australia's loss to Argentina, it means that all three Asian Confederation teams were eliminated in the first knockout round.

Having failed to score in the first half of any match so far this tournament, five-times champions Brazil corrected that with four goals before the break, to end the match as any meaningful contest early on.

ENGLAND’S BOLD DECLARATION PAYS OFF; THEY WIN RAWALPINDI TEST

England pulled off a stunning 74-run victory over Pakistan in the first Test on Monday, claiming the final wicket in rapidly fading light to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

The visitors amassed 657 in their first innings and declared their second on 264-7, setting Pakistan a victory target of 343 on a docile track in Rawalpindi, with 4 sessions of play in hand.

Pakistan fought gamely and reached 268 before being dismissed in an absorbing final session, Saud Shakeel top-scoring for the hosts with 76. Mohammad Rizwan made 46 and Azhar Ali scored 40 with an injured finger but they could only delay the inevitable.

Pakistan's last pair of Naseem Shah and Mohammad Ali resisted for nearly nine overs before the former fell lbw to Jack Leach barely 10 minutes before the scheduled end of play.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The only solutions that are ever worth anything are the solutions that people find themselves. - Satyajit Ray

OFF TRACK

A couple was going out for the evening to celebrate their anniversary. The taxi arrived, and, just as they started out the door, their dog shot back into the house. They didn't want the dog shut inside all night, so the wife went out to the taxi while the husband took care of the dog.

The wife, not wanting it known that their home would be empty all evening, explained to the driver, "My husband will be here in a moment. He's just saying good-bye to my mother."

When the breathless husband finally climbed into the cab, he said, "Sorry I took so long, but I had to poke that stupid bitch with a coat hanger to get her to come out from under the bed! Then I had to wrap her in a blanket to keep her from scratching and biting me as I hauled her downstairs and tossed her in the backyard!"

The silence in the cab was deafening.